They say you can tell a lot about a person by their shoes. Practical, pretty, expensive, extroverted—you'd be surprised at how much people judge your footwear choices. I know this be true as I have a chronic "ugly" shoe obsession that has led many a man into repulsion and disgust from the Margiela Tabis, witchy boots or furry clogs that I've adorned my feet with.
Each season brings with it new shoe trends, and not always are they controversial, in fact usually the most popular are the most wearable styles. This being said, by very nature, trends come and go, as such each new year brings some shoes that are newer, cooler and more 'in-demand' than others. It goes without saying, all should just wear the items they love, but if you're wanting to know the footwear that's most trending for spring 2026, you've come to the right place.
I've sat front row at London, Paris and Copenhagen fashion week to study the runways, I've scrolled and searched Instagram and TikTok for the online trends as if it were my job (oh wait, it is!) and I've examined the streets of the best dressed cities in the world to see what people are actually wearing, so am well and truly able to predict what's about to be hot, and what's—well, not.
And with that, see the five shoe trends I predict are starting to feel dated, and the similar styles that are set to replace them.
5 Dated Shoe Trends For Spring 2026
1. "Out": Chunky Loafers
"In": Derbies
Style Notes: From Celine to Lemaire, derby shoes are taking over as the fashion person's spring silhouette. As we've seen for a while now with loafers, the mood is shifting away from chunky styles, with a preference for slimmer, softer pieces. The Celine derbies pictured here are the classic flat pair, but they also offer a heeled version that looks like a hybrid of an Oxford brogue and a ballet flat, with an almost Victorian aesthetic. Easy to style with jeans in the transitional period between spring and summer, but also perfect with a breezy skirt or dress and socks, trust me when I say, everyone will be wearing these soon.
Shop the Look:
These are those in the photo, and the ones on many editor's wish lists right now.
If your bank balance won't allow for the Celine styles, these are a great alternative.
Stunning Soeur in dark brown!
Lemaire have been designing derby shoes for years, and have flat and heeled options.
2. "Out": Slides
"In": Jelly Shoes
Style Notes: Whilst slides used to be top of the packing list for a summer holiday, now it's all about flip flops and jelly shoes. Where fashion people do tend to wear flip flops outside of the beach, they offer no structure, so jelly shoes are a great alternative. They started trending last year with the buckle up styles, as well as these pictured caged flats, but now the plastic jelly material has been seen across many silhouettes on the S/S26 runways. Kitten heels and wedges at Farm Rio, Mary Jane ballet flats at Jimmy Choo, and most controversially, the Chloe 'princess' slipper mules.
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I really love the colour of this H&M pair.
For a pop of colour...
I have these and I just know how much they'll get worn this summer.
The most talked about shoes of the season.
3. "Out": Strappy Stiletto Sandals
"Out": Wedges
Style Notes: As Y2K has been trending for a while now, it was only a matter of time before the wedge came back. Be it archive round-toe Prada leather wedge heels (niche, I know), black foam flip flops with a chunky heel or—my favourite—a strappy sandal with a cork wedge that feels very Paris and Nicole on The Simple Life, wedges are officially back on the menu. And whilst certain stiletto heels are huge right now (like the ultra-pointed sling-backs from Saint Laurent, Prada and Acne Studios), as we edge closer to wedding season, the classic strappy stiletto sandal feels a little more dated than they used to be. Bring on the comfort of the wedge, I say!
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Imagine how comfortable they'll be!
Notice the 'jelly' plastic material on the thong strap, these shoes are two trends in one.
These are so '90s!
4. "Out": Boat Shoes
"In": High Vamp Ballet Pumps
Style Notes: Boat or 'deck' shoes haven't totally disappeared—the soft and supple suede Miu Miu styles were seen at Coachella this month, and are still a popular 'comfy shoe' alternative to trainers. This being said, their popularity has dwindled since last year, especially for those with chunkier silhouettes from the likes of Timberland that nod to a more streetstyle aesthetic. I think this is down to people wanting something that they can easily walk in, but is smarter than trainers, and covers the toes unlike sandals. Block heel ballet pumps are that very shoe. Especially comfortable when made in soft leather by brands like Aeyde (who are truly the best when it comes to any soft leather ballet flats, pumps or low heels), with the raised heel they feel more polished than your average ballet flat, but possess the ability to walk around all day without any complaints.
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The ones worn by Anne-Lau Mais here photographed, Ayede really is the go-to for court shoes like this.
Anonymous Copenhagen have lots of similar styles in different colours and fabrics.
Miista never misses!
The black heel on these adds a lovely contrast that will be a little more harder wearing.
5. "Out": Fisherman Sandals
"In": Clogs
Style Notes: Despite the boho revival showing no signs of waning, fisherman sandals, which are undeniably adjacent to boho 2.0, are somewhat less in demand these days. Especially those with thick soles and straps that were pretty huge in 2021. Instead, I'd suggest looking to clogs, which are even more synonymous with the boho trend. Whilst the standard mule shape is pretty popular right now, it's the sandal styles that are the ones to watch. They might not be everyone's cup of tea, but from Scholl to Chloe, to Ancient Greek Sandals and Gucci, this is the fashion person's shoe to own.
Shop the Look:
Ancient Greek Sandals is so good this season.
I absolutely love this white leather shade for summer, it feels very Y2K.
Only Simone Rocha would add pearls to clog studs.
When it comes to boho, Free People always get it right.